U.S. patent application number 17/100220 was filed with the patent office on 2022-05-26 for valve providing supplemental feedback during operation.
The applicant listed for this patent is Badger Meter, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jeremy Aderhold, Eric Bunke, Christian Morin, Andrew Perez, David Vaughn.
Application Number | 20220163121 17/100220 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-05-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220163121 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Morin; Christian ; et
al. |
May 26, 2022 |
Valve Providing Supplemental Feedback During Operation
Abstract
A ball valve for use in a hydraulic supply system is described.
The ball valve includes a valve body defining a fluid passage
including an inlet and an outlet, a ball having an opening
therethough and having an open position and a closed position
within the fluid passage and a normal operating range between the
open position and the closed position, a manual valve operation
mechanism, an input shaft connected to the manual valve operation
mechanism, and a gearing assembly including an output shaft, the
gearing assembly connected to the input shaft and the output shaft
connected to the ball. Rotation of the manual valve operation
mechanism causes rotation of the ball along a full operating range
within the valve body and the gearing assembly includes a feedback
mechanism that is actuated after the ball has rotated outside of
the normal operating range.
Inventors: |
Morin; Christian; (Mount
Pleasant, WI) ; Vaughn; David; (Union Grove, WI)
; Bunke; Eric; (Whitefish Bay, WI) ; Aderhold;
Jeremy; (Cedarburg, WI) ; Perez; Andrew;
(Brookfield, WI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Badger Meter, Inc. |
Milwaukee |
WI |
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/100220 |
Filed: |
November 20, 2020 |
International
Class: |
F16K 5/20 20060101
F16K005/20; F16J 15/32 20060101 F16J015/32; F16K 5/06 20060101
F16K005/06 |
Claims
1. A ball valve for use in a hydraulic supply system, the hall
valve comprising: a valve body defining a fluid passage including
an inlet and an outlet; a ball having an opening therethough anti
having an open position and a closed position within the fluid
passage and a normal operating range between the open position and
the closed position; a manual valve operation mechanism; an input
shaft connected to the manual valve operation mechanism; and a
gearing assembly including an output shaft, the gearing assembly
connected to the input shaft and the output shaft connected to the
balk wherein rotation of the manual valve operation mechanism
causes rotation of the ball along a lull operating range within the
valve body; wherein the gearing assembly includes a feedback
mechanism that is actuated after the ball has rotated outside of
the normal operating range.
2. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein the feedback mechanism
provides mechanical feedback to the manual valve operation
mechanism after the ball has rotated outside of the operating
range.
3. The ball valve of claim 2, wherein the amount of feedback
increases in correlation with the degree the ball has rotated
outside of the normal operating range.
4. The ball valve of claim 3, wherein the amount of feedback is a
resistance to rotation of the input shaft and the manual valve
operation mechanism.
5. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein the feedback mechanism
includes one or more cams rotating within the gearing mechanism to
actuate the feedback mechanism.
6. The ball valve of claim 5, wherein the one or more cams are
configured to press into one more O-rings of the feedback mechanism
as the ball is rotated outside the normal operating range.
7. The ball valve of claim 6, wherein the O-rings are compressible
to provide increased rotational resistance as the cams are further
rotated into the feedback mechanism.
8. The ball valve of claim 1, wherein feedback mechanism provides
visual feedback indication that the ball is being rotated outside
of the normal operating range.
9. A valve for a hydraulic supply system, the valve comprising: a
valve body defining a fluid passage including an inlet and an
outlet; a valve having, an open position and a closed position
within the fluid passage and a normal operating range between the
open position and the closed position; a manual valve operation
mechanism; an input shall connected to the manual valve operation
mechanism; and a gearing assembly including an output shall, the
gearing assembly connected to the input shaft and the output shall
connected to the valve; wherein actuation of the manual valve
operation mechanism causes actuation of the valve along a full
operating range within the valve body; wherein the gearing assembly
includes a feedback mechanism that is actuated alter the valve has
been operated outside of the normal operating range.
10. The valve of claim 8, wherein the feedback mechanism provides
mechanical feedback to the manual valve operation mechanism after
the valve has passed outside of the operating range.
11. The valve of claim 9, wherein the amount of feedback increases
in correlation with the degree the valve is being operated outside
of the normal operating range.
12. The ball valve of claim 11, wherein the amount of feedback is a
resistance to actuation of the manual valve operation
mechanism.
13. The valve of claim 8, wherein the feedback mechanism includes
one or more cams rotating within the gearing mechanism to actuate
the feedback mechanism.
14. The valve of claim 13, wherein the one or more cams are
configured to press into one more O-rings of the feedback mechanism
as the valve is being operated outside the normal operating
range.
15. The valve of claim 14, wherein the O-rings are compressible to
provide increased rotational resistance as the cams are further
rotated into the feedback mechanism.
16. The valve of claim 8, wherein feedback mechanism provides
visual feedback indication that the valve is being operated outside
of the normal operating range.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This application relates to a valve for use in a hydraulic
supply system for controlling the flow of fluid or gases in the
system, More specifically, this application relates to a valve that
provides supplemental manual feedback during operation.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A hydraulic supply system is a system configured to supply a
liquid or gas moving in a confined space under pressure. Typical
examples of a hydraulic supply system are a city utility water or
gas grid, household water pipes, vehicle fluid systems, etc.
providing fluid through conduit, pipes, tubes, etc. The system is
kept under pressure such that a fluid is delivered as needed at
outlets from the supply system such as utility meters, faucets, or
other devices, These devices typically have a valve that can be
opened or closed such that, when the valve is opened, the fluid
under pressure passes through the valve and, when the valve is
closed, the fluid is contained in the supply system.
[0003] Ball valves and gate valves are two of the typical valves
for controlling the flow of fluid in hydraulic systems. Ball valves
are generally preferred because such devices allow a user to
quickly open or close the valve. Ball valves use a handle to
control the placement of a hollow, perforated sphere positioned in
the flow in the valve housing, i.e., the ball of the ball valve.
When the handle is turned, the hole is moved to or from being
parallel to the flow, i.e., fully open, or being perpendicular to
the flow, i.e., fully closed. Ball valves are typically more
effective at forming a tight seal and have more reliability and
longevity than gate valves. They are often used for both shutoff
and control applications.
[0004] Most ball valves are quick-acting, referred to as a quarter
turn ball valve. They typically have a handle that requires only a
90-degree turn to either completely open or close the valve. This
type of valve typically includes mechanical stops such that the
handle is constrained to operation within the 90-degree radius.
When the handle is 90-degrees from being aligned with the conduit,
the valve is fully closed, and when the handle is aligned with the
conduit, the valve is fully open.
[0005] However, although the quarter turn ball valve has the
advantage of allowing quick opening and closure, they do have known
deficiencies. First, quarter turn ball valves are more likely than
gate valves to cause water hammer. When a valve is quickly closed
on water moving at high pressure through pipes, it can cause shock
waves through the plumbing that create a hammering sound. Under
high enough pressure, water hammer can cause a pipe to weaken and
break. Second, under high pressure, the amount of force required to
turn the handle may be relatively high. Third, ball valves, having
only a limited range, provide a highly variable flow rate along the
ninety-degree radius reducing the effectiveness of the valve's
control function.
[0006] Some ball valves are operated by gearing mechanisms. Gearing
mechanisms are typically force multipliers that allow the use of a
relatively small handwheel or other rotation device to operate a
valve with a relatively small operating force, even under high
pressures. The gearing further allows finer control over the flow
rate through the valve as each turn of the gearing mechanism may be
configured to rotate the ball less than it would with a quarter
turn valve. The gearing does, however, increase the operating time
for the valve. Further, alignment of the hole in the ball is no
longer evident based on the handle and it may also be possible to
rotate the ball past the fully open or fully closed position
without that visual feedback.
[0007] Some ball valves contain a swing check located within the
ball to restrict the valve to operating within a normal range
between fully open and fully closed to address the over rotation
issue. However, such valves may be damaged and/or subject to
excessive wear when used with a force multiplying gearing
mechanism. The force multiplier also increases the force that is
applied to the gearing and the swing checks as force is applied
once the valve is fully open or fully closed. 100081 What is needed
is a ball valve configured to provide a mechanical feedback to a
valve handle or wheel when the valve is being operated beyond a
fully open position or beyond a fully closed position. What is
further needed is such a valve where the amount of feedback being
provided increases dependent on the degree past the fully open or
fully closed position in which the valve is being operated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention is directed to ball valve configured
to provide feedback to an operator when the valve is being operated
beyond its fully open position and/or its fully closed position.
Further, this feedback is provided without preventing the operation
beyond its filly open position and/or its fully closed
position.
[0009] In one more detailed aspect, a ball valve for use in a
hydraulic supply system is described. The ball valve includes a
valve body defining a fluid passage including an inlet and an
outlet, a ball having an opening therethough and having an open
position and a closed position within the fluid passage and a
normal operating range between the open position and the closed
position, a manual valve operation mechanism, an input shaft
connected to the manual valve operation mechanism, and a gearing
assembly including an output shaft, the gearing assembly connected
to the input shaft and the output shaft connected to the ball.
Rotation of the manual valve operation mechanism causes rotation of
the ball along a full operating range within the valve body and the
gearing assembly includes a feedback mechanism that is actuated
after the ball has rotated outside of the normal operating
range.
[0010] In another embodiment of the invention, the feedback
mechanism provides mechanical feedback to the manual valve
operation mechanism after the ball has rotated outside of the
operating range. The amount of feedback may be increased in
correlation with the degree the ball has rotated outside of the
normal operating range. The amount of feedback may further be a
resistance to rotation of the input shaft and the manual valve
operation mechanism.
[0011] In another embodiment, the feedback mechanism includes one
or more cams rotating within the gearing mechanism to actuate the
feedback mechanism. The one or more cams may be configured to press
into one more O-rings of the feedback mechanism as the ball is
rotated outside the normal operating range. The O-rings may be
compressible to provide increased rotational resistance as the cams
are further rotated into the feedback mechanism.
[0012] In another embodiment, the feedback mechanism provides
visual feedback indication that the ball is being rotated outside
of the normal operating range.
[0013] In another more detailed aspect, a valve for a hydraulic
supply system is described. The valve includes a valve body
defining a fluid passage including an inlet and an outlet, a valve
having an open position and a closed position within the fluid
passage and a normal operating range between the open position and
the closed position, a manual valve operation mechanism, an input
shaft connected to the manual valve operation mechanism, and a
gearing assembly including an output shaft, the gearing assembly
connected to the input shaft and the output shaft connected to the
valve. Actuation of the manual valve operation mechanism causes
actuation of the valve along a full operating range within the
valve body and the gearing assembly includes a feedback mechanism
that is actuated after the valve has been operated outside of the
normal operating range.
[0014] Other aspects of the invention, besides those discussed
above, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from
the description of exemplary embodiments which follows. In the
description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which
form a part hereof, and which illustrate examples of the
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hydraulic supply system
including a ball valve, according to an exemplary embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 2 is top down view of the gearing assembly of the ball
valve of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of the gearing assembly for the hall
valve gear of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment; and
[0018] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the gearing
assembly of FIG. 3, according to an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The present application is directed to a valve that provides
feedback during manual operation when the valve is being operated
beyond its fully open and/or its fully closed position. For
simplicity, the valve is described as a ball valve herein. More
particularly, a ball valve in accordance with the present invention
does not use check stops to prevent such operations, but rather
allows the operation beyond its fully open and/or its fully closed
position while providing feedback indicating the occurrence.
[0020] Referring first to FIG. 1, a portion of a hydraulic supply
system 100 including a ball valve 105 is shown, according to an
exemplary embodiment. The hydraulic system 100 may include conduit,
metering systems, etc. The hydraulic system 100 may be a utility
supply system, water pipes for a residence, conduit within a device
or vehicle, etc. Ball valve 105 may be included in a component,
such as a utility metering monitoring system for use in the
hydraulic system 100.
[0021] Referring now also to FIG. 2, an enlarged view of the ball
valve 105 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. Ball
valve 105, includes a valve body 110, a ball 120, a gearing
mechanism 130 and a manual valve operation mechanism 140. Although
a particular type and configuration of ball valve is shown and
described herein, one of ordinary skill in the art should
understand that the concepts described may be applied to other
types of ball valves and/or valves. Ball valve 105 is configured to
be used as a control valve in the hydraulic supply system 100. Ball
valve 105 controls the amount of fluid or gas passing through the
valve body 110 dependent on the rotation of the ball 120 within the
valve body 110.
[0022] Valve body 110 is a pressure vessel configured to receive
fluid or gas from the conduit of a hydraulic supply system through
an inlet 114 and to provide the fluid of gas through an outlet 116,
depending on the positioning of ball 120 within the valve body 110.
Valve body includes a ball chamber 118 configured to receive and
allow rotation of the ball 120. The ball chamber 118 is roughly
sized to correlate to the size of the ball 120. Although not shown,
valve body 110 may be configured to receive ball seats between
inlet 114 and ball chamber 118 and between outlet 116 and ball
chamber 118. The ball seats, combined with the sizing of the ball
chamber 118, may provide compression fits such that fluid or gas
cannot pass through ball chamber 118 except through a ball aperture
as defined below.
[0023] Ball 120 is a ball having an aperture 122 passing entirely
through the ball 120 and having an axis that is horizontal when the
ball 120 is positioned within valve body 110. The radius and shape
of the aperture 122 is generally, but not exclusively, correlated
to the radius and shape of the conduits of the hydraulic supply
system 100. Accordingly, when the ball 120 is rotated within valve
body 110 to be in the fully open position, such that the axis of
aperture 122 is aligned with an axis of conduit in the hydraulic
supply system, fluid or gas within the hydraulic supply system will
pass unimpeded through ball 120 and ball valve 105, When the ball
120 is rotated within valve body 100 to be in the fully closed
position, such that the axis of aperture 122 is transverse to an
axis of conduit in the hydraulic supply system, fluid or gas within
the hydraulic supply system will be blocked from passing through
the ball valve 105.
[0024] Gearing assembly 130 is an assembly configured to include
one or more gears to convert manual rotation of a manual valve
operation mechanism 140 to rotation of ball 120, In a preferred
embodiment, gearing assembly 130 is force multiplying such that the
force required to rotate the manual valve operation mechanism 140
is less than the force imparted to rotate the ball 120, The gearing
mechanism is described in further detail below with reference to
FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0025] The manual valve operation mechanism 140 may be any
mechanism that extends from an external location, accessible by an
operator, into the valve body 110 to operate the ball valve 105 by
rotating the ball 120. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 & 2,
mechanism 140 includes a screwdriver receiving slot 142. In
alternative embodiments, manual valve operation mechanism 140 may
include a wheel, a knob, etc. where rotation of the mechanism will
result in rotation of the ball 120 to open and/or close the ball
valve 105. In alternative embodiments, the mechanism need not be
rotatable and may be any type of mechanism or device whose
actuation manually operates the ball valve 105.
[0026] Referring now to FIGS. 3 & 4, a gearing mechanism 300,
an exemplary implementation of the gearing mechanism 130 of FIG. 1,
is shown in greater detail in the top down view of FIG. 3 and the
exploded side view of FIG. 4, according to an exemplary embodiment.
During normal operation, valve 105 may be motorized, including
components configured to rotate the ball 120 between a fully open
and a fully closed position. The 90-degree range between these
values is the normal operating range for the valve 105. However,
when the motor 360 is operating the valve 105 is this normal
operating range, it may be that the motor loses power, etc. such
that the valve must be operated manually using the manual valve
operation mechanism 140.
[0027] The gearing mechanism 300 is configured to convert an
operator's manual input using manual valve operation mechanism 140
into a rotational force applied to ball 120 of the ball valve 105.
A particular embodiment of the gearing mechanism is shown, but one
of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that numerous
implementations may be alternatively used to provide the advantages
described herein.
[0028] Gearing mechanism 300 includes an input shaft 310, a worm
drive shaft 320, a worm drive gear 330, a feedback mechanism 340,
and an output shaft 350. Input shaft 310 is rotated by the manual
valve operation mechanism 140 which in turn rotates the worm drive
shaft 320 on the input shaft 310. Rotation of the worm drive shaft
320 rotates the worm drive gear 300 and the output shaft 350
affixed to the worm drive gear 330. Output shaft 350 is coupled to
the ball 120 such that rotation of the output shaft 350 rotates the
ball 120 within the ball valve 105. Feedback mechanism 340 in turn
includes a gear column 342, affixed to and rotating with the gear
330. Gear column 342 includes a plurality of feedback cams 344 that
extend outward from the column 342 beyond a radius of the column
342.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 3, valve 105 includes a motor 360 affixed
to an end of the input shaft 310 opposite the manual valve
operation mechanism 140. During normal operation, motor 360 rotates
input shaft 310 and worm drive shaft 320 to rotate worm drive shaft
320 on the input. shaft 310. Rotation of the worm drive shaft 320
rotates the worm drive gear 300 and the output shaft 350 affixed to
the worm drive gear 330.
[0030] Valve 105 further include a first limit switch 370 and a
second limit switch 380. Limit switch 370 and 380 may be used to
control the operation of the motor 360 as it rotated the ball 120
through its normal operating range between the fully open and the
fully closed positions. The limit switches are used to stop
operation of the motor 360. Limit switches 370 and 380 may further
be used to provide visual feedback, since as initiating actuation
of a green LED indicating that the valve is in a fully open
position and/or initiating actuation of a red LED indicating that
the valve is in a fully closed position. However, during manual
operation of the valve 105 such as when valve 105 is unpowered,
limit switches may not be available to provide feedback.
[0031] According to an exemplary embodiment, worm drive components
320 and 330 provide a mechanical advantage such that the force
required to operate the manual valve operation mechanism 140 is
less than the rotational force applied to the ball 120. In the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 & 4, the worm drive components 320
and 330 provide a 56:1 mechanical advantage. During normal
operation, limit switches 370 and 380 will stop operation of the
motor 360 such that the ball 120 will operate within its normal
operating range. However, during manual operation, the limit
switches are not available to provide this restriction. The present
invention provides feedback mechanism 340 such that feedback is
provided when the ball is being operated outside of its normal
operating range while also minimizing the risk of damage to the
components of valve 105 that may be caused because of the
mechanical advantage.
[0032] Referring now to feedback mechanism 340, mechanism 340
includes a gear column 342 which is coupled to and rotates together
with the gear 330. Mechanism 340 further includes one or more
feedback resistance barriers 346 that include a post 347 and a
plurality of O-rings 348 positioned to interfere with the feedback
cams 344 during rotation of the column 342. In an exemplary
embodiment, O-rings 348 may be formed from ethylene propylene diene
monomer (EPDM) rubber having a 70-durometer rating.
[0033] Although O-rings are shown and c escribed, the feedback
mechanism can include any resistance mechanism, elastomer, etc. The
durometer rating and, accordingly, the resistance imparted may
further be varied as needed.
[0034] Feedback resistance barriers 346, including post 347 and
O-rings 348, can be positioned proximate to column 342 such that
the barriers will not interfere with the rotation of column 342 but
will interfere with cams 344 at defined locations during the
rotation of column 342. Specifically, feedback resistance barriers
346 may be configured to interfere with cams 344 when the gear 330
rotates just past the fully open and/or the fully closed position.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 & 4, a single feedback
resistance barrier 346 is shown correlated to the fully open
position. The resistance barriers are configured to interfere with,
but not prevent, rotation of column 342 and input shaft 310 to
provide feedback to the feedback mechanism 340. An operator using
feedback mechanism 340 will be able to detect increased resistance
while operating the mechanism.
[0035] In operation, rotation of gear 340 and column 342 will bring
a cam 344 in contact with a resistance barrier 346 after the ball
120 has rotated past the fully open and/or fully closed position.
As a consequence, an operator using the manual valve operation
mechanism 140 will feel increased resistance in operating the
mechanism. As shown in FIG. 3, the resistance will yet further
increase the farther the operator rotates ball 120 past the fully
open or the fully closed position. Specifically, the cam 344 will
further compress the O-rings 348, providing increased
resistance.
[0036] However, cams 344 and resistance barriers 346 are configured
such that the amount of resistance will plateau short of a
resistance that is likely to damage the components of valve 150.
Specifically, once a furthest extension of a cam 344 passes the
axis of a resistance barrier 346, the amount of resistance will
decrease to avoid such damage.
[0037] In an alternative embodiment, other types of feedback
mechanisms may be used in place of the mechanism shown in the
figures and described herein. Another example of a feedback
mechanism may include a disc attached to gear 340, a second disc
attached to input shaft 140 and a spring to provide increasing
resistance the farther the ball is rotated past its normal
operating range.
[0038] In further alternative embodiments, the feedback mechanism
may be configured to provide electrical and/or visual feedback once
the ball 120 has been rotated outside of its normal operating
range. For example, additional cams 344 may be used to trigger the
limit switches to actuate a separately powered flashing LED that
increases the frequency of the flashes depending on the degree the
ball 120 has been rotated outside of its normal operating range.
Alternatively, the visual indicator may be a flag, color window,
etc.
[0039] This has been a description of exemplary embodiments, but it
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that
variations may be made in the details of these specific embodiments
without departing from the scope and spirit of the present
invention, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed
by the following claims.
* * * * *